A few thoughts.
If I was designing the Chameleon as my frame it would have a 62/63* HTA, 480mm Reach, and 450mm+ stays. That’s what I like in a 130mm forked hardtail.
But compared to what other large brands are putting out for their all around hardtails (Specialized, Trek, Kona, etc) I don’t think the geo is off the back? Especially with the addition of sliders to lengthen stays.
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The frame has a nice riding quality, Sliders cost money, etc, but it’s not inexpensive.
The obvious value choice for an aluminum trail hardtail with sliding dropouts is the Kona Honzo DL at $700 for a frame only. Would love to review one myself. My understanding is the Chameleon is a nicer riding frame. Maybe fatter tires could split the difference.
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I think Santa Cruz could have gone a long way in creating value by making these Shimano bikes. SX is junk but for the same money they could run Deore 11spd (which is good). NX is okay (and comes on plenty of bikes more expensive than the Chameleon) but M6100 eats its lunch for the same money and some M420 4-piston brakes would be winners on both bikes.
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FS bikes come with a whole additional cost of ownership (service) so value wise I don’t love comparing them to hardtails.
That said, I’m very aware that going off the spec list I would lose value/spec debates against many other hardtails (I’ve been doing a bunch of research for some potential more-budget hardtail reviews at the $1200-2200 CAD price level). And, that not everyone cares about sliders as much as me.
I would have loved to do this as a frame only review and that will be my main focus (nothing that hasn’t been covered many times here except maybe the dropper).
Nov. 26, 2021, 7:43 a.m. - Andrew Major
A few thoughts. If I was designing the Chameleon as my frame it would have a 62/63* HTA, 480mm Reach, and 450mm+ stays. That’s what I like in a 130mm forked hardtail. But compared to what other large brands are putting out for their all around hardtails (Specialized, Trek, Kona, etc) I don’t think the geo is off the back? Especially with the addition of sliders to lengthen stays. ——— The frame has a nice riding quality, Sliders cost money, etc, but it’s not inexpensive. The obvious value choice for an aluminum trail hardtail with sliding dropouts is the Kona Honzo DL at $700 for a frame only. Would love to review one myself. My understanding is the Chameleon is a nicer riding frame. Maybe fatter tires could split the difference. ——— I think Santa Cruz could have gone a long way in creating value by making these Shimano bikes. SX is junk but for the same money they could run Deore 11spd (which is good). NX is okay (and comes on plenty of bikes more expensive than the Chameleon) but M6100 eats its lunch for the same money and some M420 4-piston brakes would be winners on both bikes. ——— FS bikes come with a whole additional cost of ownership (service) so value wise I don’t love comparing them to hardtails. That said, I’m very aware that going off the spec list I would lose value/spec debates against many other hardtails (I’ve been doing a bunch of research for some potential more-budget hardtail reviews at the $1200-2200 CAD price level). And, that not everyone cares about sliders as much as me. I would have loved to do this as a frame only review and that will be my main focus (nothing that hasn’t been covered many times here except maybe the dropper).